Ordinary
by Sayuri-hime
Summary: In which not being a ninja was actually a good thing. GaaraxOC
1. Suna

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

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Suna

"Hot." She answered her father when he asked how she felt. She, her father, mother, and several other ninja from the village hidden in the leaves were being checked into the wind country by Suna's border patrol.

Sitting inside their carriage the little four year old huffed and tugged at her kimono in irritation. Her mother swatted her hands away and gave her a stern gaze. "Miaka, you know better than to tug at your kimono you'll ruin it."

"Yes mother…" she sighed.

Their carriage jerked as they began to move once more. Curious, Miaka tried to catch a glimpse from the widow and was amazed at what she saw. Tall oddly shaped buildings that looked like they were made out of sand made up the village. She saw several people walking around the village some in a hurry some appeared to be taking a leisurely stroll.

"Mama…" the little girl asked. The older woman turned to look at her daughter waiting patiently for her question. "Why do the people here wear long sleeves and turbans? Aren't they hot?"

Miaka watched as her mother smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "They dress like that because it helps protect them from the sand and the hot sun."

"Really?"

Her father chuckled. "Really." The little four year olds mouth took the shape of a small 'o' and back to looking out the window she went.

**A.N.**

**The idea just came to me. Please Review.**


	2. Kazekage

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

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Kazekage

"Ah, Hisakata-san."

Miaka looked up at the imposing Kazekage. She watched as he and her father shook hands and began to talk about the village. Her father and mother had been sent here by the Hokage in hopes of establishing a greater bond between the two villages. Although her mother and father were not ninja, they were diplomats that served under the feudal lord of the Land of Fire up until now. Her father was sent in order to establish a better education system in the Village Hidden in the Sand, while her mother had been sent in order to help grow new medicinal herbs and to teach about their uses to the local medics.

"…And this is my daughter, Miaka." The four year old blushed and gave the Kage a bow.

"It is an honor to meet you." She glanced up at the man who looked down at her sternly. Did the he even _smile_?

"Well Hisakata-san, will you follow me, we have much to discuss."

Miaka felt as her mother took her hand and with a smile gestured to the door. It was their cue to leave the men to do business.

**A.N.**

**The chapters are short I know. Please review.**


	3. Better

**A.N.**

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Better

"Miaka you need to go out and make new friends." Her father said as he patted the girls head.

She frowned and crossed her arms. "But I already tried. They all called me an outsider…they _hate_ me Papa!" Her father sighed and reached to place a stray lock of purple hair behind her ear.

"I promise it will all get better." He smiled.

"When?" Miaka asked eagerly.

"Soon."

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	4. Red

**A.N.**

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Red

Miaka walked around the park absentmindedly as she watched the other children play ball with each other. Hazel eyes watched as a group cheered when their team made a goal, while the other whined at their loss. Then it started again, the two teams chased the ball up and down the field with clear joy on their faces.

It wasn't fair. How come she couldn't play? It wasn't her fault her parents had to move to this stupid village. She growled under her breath and kicked a pebble angrily. A shout caught her attention. She turned to watch as the ball landed on the roof of one of the buildings.

"Aw man!" one boy whined.

"Nice going." Said another.

"Yeah!" this time a girl. "How are we supposed to get it down now?!"

Suddenly the ball was lifted into the air. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw sand lift the ball and carry it down and towards a small redheaded kid that stood in the back.

Miaka scratched her head. Where did he come from?

"Here…" said the small boy, extending the ball to the group of children a shy smile on his face. They all visibly paled and backed away.

"Get away from us!" one shouted.

"But…" the redhead looked down and took a step forward."Your ball..."

"No!" another cried out taking a step back. "We don't want it any more, you…you monster!"

Miaka watched as the children ran away from the boy who called out for them to stop. She gasped as the sand lurched towards them and consequentially her as well, as she was standing smack dab in the middle of the direction in which the children were rushing off to.

The four year old felt a great amount of pain. She screamed in agony, before everything went black.

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	5. Gaara

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Gaara

She heard someone crying. It sounded like…

"Mama…" Miaka whispered as her eyes fluttered open. Her mother gasped, as tears ran down her cheeks, the woman hugged her daughter tightly.

"Toshi!" the woman cried out. "Toshi! She's awake!" Her father ran into his daughter's room and rushed to her bed side.

"Miaka!" he cried and held his daughter close.

"I'm glad she's doing better." Hazel eyes turned to a tall young man, with sandy blonde hair that reached a bit past his chin. He wore a warm smile as he changed her bandages, making sure that she was healing properly.

Soon they were the only ones in the room. Her father was called in for an emergency meeting with the Kazekage, while her mother rushed to the store to buy her daughter her favorite treats. Miaka was instructed to follow Yashamaru's orders until her mother or father returned.

"He didn't mean to…" the man said sadly as he finished bandaging her arm. Miaka felt very much like a zombie at the moment, what with all the bandages all around her torso, arms, legs, and head.

"Who?" she asked peering up at the gentle man.

His light brown eyes met her hazel ones as he smiled down at her sadly. "…Gaara…"

Miaka blinked. Gaara? Who's Gaara? "Um…"

"The little kid. The redhead." He supplied.

Her eyes widened. "The one who attacked me?!" she exclaimed and quickly covered her mouth, a blush on her cheeks. "Sorry." She mumbled.

Yashamaru shook his head and smiled. "It's ok." He turned to the desk and picked up a rectangular box. "He asked me to give you this, and to give you his most sincere apology."

Cautiously she took the box and opened it. In it, there was a collection of creams that help with removing scars, among others that helped relieve pain, some of them were creams to help with sunburn, and others, to rehydrate dry skin.

Miaka turned back to the man with a small frown. "If he really wanted to apologize why didn't he give me this himself?"

The medic sighed and sat at the edge of Miaka's bed. "He tried, but your mother wouldn't let him see you. He really is sorry." Yashamaru looked down at his hands and smiled. "Gaara is good kid. Please give him a chance."

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	6. Encounter

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Encounter

Miaka only saw glimpses of the redheaded boy as the years went by. She had heard that Yashamaru had died at the hands of the so called 'monster,' but she refused to believe it. She still held on to the belief that the kind medic had not lied to her about the strange lonely boy. That he was really a kind child.

However as the years went by, all she heard about was how merciless Gaara was. How he killed ninja with great joy. That his own siblings were afraid of the monster that he was. Yet Miaka refused to believe it, until the day that she got to see him face to face.

A ten year old Miaka had been walking back to her home after being held back at the hospital where she was volunteering at. It was late in the evening so she ran home. She knew her mother would have her head the minute she got there.

The purple haired ten year old wasn't paying much attention to where she was running to until she slammed into something hard, the force of it sending her falling back. In shock she looked up at the darkening sky. Her chest hurt badly as she struggled to breathe. Gods, how she wished she was a ninja so that she could heal her wounds like she had seen the medics do.

She was yanked up from the ground roughly. It took her two seconds to realize that it wasn't a pair of hands that were pulling her up. No, it was sand…sand that was slowly winding itself around her neck, and lifting her into the air.

Suddenly the winding sand stopped. Through half lidded eyes, Miaka looked down to see Gaara, hand out in a half clenched fist, looking directly at her. She felt a chill run down her spine at the lack of emotion in his green eyes. And the he was gone. She fell on her bottom; there was no one out in the streets, almost as if they all knew of the danger that lurked in the dead of night.

**The chapters are meant to be short. This was originally a one shot, but I decided to make it into a multi chapter story. I hope you enjoyed it. And thank you all for the reviews. Please review :)**


	7. Departure

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Departure

They were packing their belongings. The Hokage had ordered them to return. Suna had attacked Konoha, their alliance had been broken, although the Leaf Village had won the battle and the Kazekage's kids apologized for their village's actions the damage had been done. Their carriage waited for them outside their home, as did the three sand siblings, heirs to the late Kage.

Miaka noted that it was the first time she saw her father so angry. Not like she could blame him, this village had betrayed his home land's trust.

The eldest of the three siblings, a beautiful blonde teen bowed to them. "We apologize for our actions." Her brothers followed her exampled and bowed as well, but not before she managed to catch Gaara's eye.

Miaka was taken aback. His once cold green eyes held some raw emotion in them. What had happened back in Konoha that had changed him in such a way?

"We must leave." Said her father as he walked past the three children, her mother did the same not bothering to acknowledge them. "Miaka." Her father called when she did not enter the carriage right away.

"Good luck." She whispered as she passed the redhead, noticing that she was taller than him by three inches. Somehow she felt proud of the fact. The boy that she had feared, ever since that fateful night two years ago, was shorter than her. With that new found knowledge she entered the carriage, sat beside her mother, and closed the door.

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	8. Yearning

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Yearning

A year had gone by and everything in the Land of Fire was back to normal. Her father continued to work with the Feudal lord, while her mother continued to grow medicinal herbs in the lord's green house. Miaka, under the request of the Feudal lords wife, was being tutored in the arts, sciences, mathematics, music, and etiquette all to prepare her to become some important diplomat's wife. Or, as Madam Shijimi had put it, if she was lucky enough she could _snag_ herself a feudal lord and have it made.

The thirteen year old sighed as she half paid attention to her math tutor. Hazel eyes glanced out the window. Never had she imagined that she'd miss the days in which she was only a normal girl living in Suna, running around doing what she wanted when she wanted. She missed the times that she got to volunteer at the village's hospital, and the times when she attended school with the other children who treated her like an equal.

"Miaka-san!" she stiffened and turned to the old man that stood a few feet away from her. "Am I boring you?"

She blushed, a pretty red adorning her cheeks and shook her head. "No Sensei."

The man frowned, his beady black eyes narrowed before continuing the lecture. Once again Miaka found herself longing for a village that was not her own, and wondering what had become of Gaara, the redhead little boy.

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	9. Again

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Again

He wasn't so little anymore. Miaka noted as she stood between her mother and father. Both had once again been sent by the Feudal lord and the Hokage so that they may finish what they started ten years ago. To say that her father and mother were pleased to travel back to the Village Hidden in the Sand would be a lie but, just like the first time, they went willingly.

"It is a pleasure to have you back." Said the blonde young woman who smiled and greeted her family.

"Please, accept our humblest apologies for what transpired two years ago." Gaara's older brother bowed before them.

As her mother and father talked with the blonde girl and her younger brother with the strange paint markings on his face, Miaka remained silent. She could feel the redhead's eyes on her but refused to turn and address him. In all of her classes she had been instructed never to speak unless spoken too, and she believed that if Gaara wanted to speak to her than he would.

Soon her parents were ushered out and directed to their new home. She unpacked her belongings and wondered how she would go about getting reacquainted with the village once again.

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	10. Sensei

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Sensei

It had been three months and she had not seen him again. Miaka took it as a sign that perhaps they weren't meant to be friends, only mere acquaintances. Maybe not even that…she doubted he even knew her name.

"Miaka…" The fourteen year old ran into the living room where her father stood peering down at a cart holding three large brown boxes.

"Father?" she asked tilting her head to the side inspecting the boxes herself.

"I need you to take these to the academy." Miaka turned her hazel eyes to her father. "I would take them there myself but I have a meeting with the council…" he sighed and ran a hand through her black hair. "They still haven't found a replacement Kazekage."

"All right…" she answered and began to push the cart out the door. She turned to her father who handed her a slip of paper.

"That's the room number." She heard him say just as she stepped outside. She winced at the bright light. Today the sun was particularly bright. Behind her, her father said a 'thank you' just before shutting the door.

She pushed the cart to the academy, it wasn't too far from her home, and when she arrived at the entrance she struggled to get it through the door. Miaka gritted her teeth as she pushed the cart over and over again only to find that one of the wheels had gotten stuck.

"…Great…" she muttered as she picked up the cart from the side, with much effort, and pushed it in sending the boxes crashing down onto the wooden floor. "Awww…" she whined as she ran a hand down her face.

With a sigh she stepped forward, mind set on picking up the large brown boxes but to no avail. "What…the…" she said in between grunts as she tried to pick the item up. Gritting her teeth she tried once more and was amazed at how easy it was to pick up the box now. She quickly placed it back in the cart and clapped her hands with a small laugh.

She did it! She… Miaka froze once she saw sand shift from under the box, returning to its owner. She turned around so fast she thought she got whiplash. Standing a few feet away from her was Gaara, hands at his sides, green eyes cautiously on her. Miaka gulped.

He looked down and to the side where the other two boxes lay and turned back to her. "Do you…need help?" he asked and watched as she blinked at him frozen in her spot. It wasn't like he could blame her, he had tried to kill her four years ago. Slowly the girl nodded and soon the boxes were put back in their original place on the cart.

"Thank you." She whispered so quietly that if he hadn't been paying close attention to her, he would have missed it.

"You're…welcome." He replied awkwardly still unused to being thanked at all. He was still trying to get the hang of having Matsuri follow him around. He watched as the purple haired girl walked behind the cart and began to push it down the hall. He followed. She stopped glanced over her shoulder nervously, narrowed her eyes and continued. Soon the two were walking side by side down the winding hall until both came to a stop outside a classroom door. The two teens glanced at each other.

"Are you going in?" he asked pointing at the door. When she nodded he moved to open it and let her through.

The sound of children laughing and chatting filled the classroom as she stepped in. The door closed behind her and everyone quieted. She felt herself blush under the scrutiny of the other children.

"Who are _you_?" asked one of the boys pointing down at her. Startled she took a step back only to bump into something that held her shoulder steady so she wouldn't fall. It took her a few seconds to figure out that a hand was steadying her and that the extremity belonged to Gaara.

"Forgive them." He apologized releasing her as he stepped forward. "They're not big on manners when it comes to strangers."

"O-oh…" she glanced back at the children, all of which watched their little exchange with interest. She turned back to the redhead and pointed at him then the children. "Are you…their sensei?"

He nodded, arms crossed over his chest, a small proud glint in his eyes. Wasn't he too young to be a sensei? Then again, there weren't very many ninja here to begin with.

"I see." She nodded her head once. "Well then I'll leave you to it." She smiled at him and bowed before exiting the room closing the door quietly behind her.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Miaka froze outside the closed door upon hearing a little girl's question. A few seconds passed before she heard the redhead answer.

"No. Let's get started."

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	11. Introductions

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Introductions

Six months had passed since her family had returned to Suna but it was almost as if they never left. The ninja academy was adjusting nicely thanks to her father and village elders who worked tirelessly to change their old teaching styles. Soon the village began getting more requests from other small neighboring countries to have them send their ninja and do missions. Her mother along with other medics began to work on growing herbs again and making new medicine, while she ran errands for her mother and father, volunteering at the hospital during her free time.

She glanced up and watched the sun as it began to set. A small smile on her face, she walked through the streets of Suna glad that the temperature was slowly decreasing. A gentle breeze passed by as she continued her stroll smiling at the people that smiled at her. This was normal…she sighed contently. This was what she wanted. A normal life, not like the life she had been living back in the fire country. It wasn't like she hated the fire country, it was just that there her parents held more prominent roles in society, and certain things were expected from her.

Like marrying some unknown noble that she may or may not like. Unaware of where she was walking, Miaka accidently bumped into something that was both hard and soft. With a light squeak she jumped back and bowed.

"I'm so sorry!" she bowed feeling utterly embarrassed.

When she heard no answer, Miaka peered up at the person and held her breath. Gaara was staring down at her, curiosity in his eyes. Quickly straightening up, she began to apologize to the redhead, unaware of the amused smile playing on his lips.

"It's fine." He finally said to her. Miaka stopped, drew her hands to her chest then looked up at the teen. He extended a hand to her and all she could do was stare at it.

His small smile dropped as a minute passed and she stood frozen at his gesture. He looked at her and drew his hand back. "I was…attempting to introduce myself to you." Miaka blinked. "Forgive me, if I startled you." He turned to walk away but stopped as he felt a small hand hold him back by the arm. Slowly he turned to the shorter girl who could only stare down at _her_ hand on _his _arm.

"I-I'm sorry!" she rushed the apology pulling back as if he had burned her.

"It's fine."

They stood silent for a few seconds before she offered her hand to him. "I'm Miaka Hisakata." He stared at her hand then at her. The girl smiled. "That's how you introduce yourself."

Eyes widening at her explanation he nodded and raised his hand to meet hers. "Gaara of the Desert."

"Nice to meet you, Gaara-san." She shook his hand firmly hazel orbs watching as a smile formed on his lips.

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	12. Friends

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Friends

"Here you go." Miaka handed a stack of documents to the hospital receptionist with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow." The woman laughed and bid her farewell.

As soon as she stepped out of the hospital she felt someone's eyes on her. Bewildered she looked all around her only to find a certain fourteen year old redhead standing on the hospital's roof top. Miaka watched in awe as he was carried to the ground by that sand of his and secretly grew jealous of how graceful he could be.

"Gaara-san…?" she asked with a raised purple eyebrow. What was he doing here?

The redhead looked at her then turned to the moonlit sky. "It's dangerous to walk alone at night."

"I've walked through the village at night plenty of times, Gaara-san." Somehow his comment made her defensive. Did he think she was weak or something? "Forgive me but, why are you here?"

"To walk you home." He explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

She narrowed her hazel eyes at the teen and crossed her arms over her chest. "I assure you, Gaara-san, I can take care of myself."

"I understand, but friends are supposed to look out for their friends."

Miaka tilted her head to the side. "Friends…? You consider me your friend?" she asked. Sure they had seen each other more often, sometimes even stopped for a nice chat but they never really, willingly, hanged out with each other.

"…Yes…" he muttered, doubt in his green eyes. "…I thought we were. Unless you-"

"It's fine, Gaara-san." She smiled. "We can be friends."

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	13. Question

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Question

"Kazekage…?" Miaka tilted her head as she regarded the silent redhead sitting beside her.

"Temari and Kankuro think I should do it." He added as they watched the villagers walk about below them from their spot on top of the hospital's roof.

"Kazekage…" she repeated. "Hmm…Gaara the Kazekage…" she placed a finger to her lips and smiled. "It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" she turned to the teen.

"Should I?" he asked again. "Do you think I'd be any good?"

Miaka raised an eyebrow. "Are _you_ seriously asking _me_ whether or not you'd be good at being a ninja?"

He smiled and shook his head. "You're right. I shouldn't be asking a civilian about ninja matters."

Miaka laughed. "Just like I don't ask _you _about civilian matters."

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	14. Proposition

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Proposition

Miaka left the hospital late at night, as she always did. It had become a regular habit of hers now days. She made her way to the Kazekage's tower, knowing full well that a certain redhead would be there. The building was empty and dark, all except for the lone light that shone from the Kage's office. With a sigh she shook her head and went in.

"Knock, knock…" Miaka opened the door and was not too shocked to see papers scattered every which where. "Gaara-san?" she asked when she could not see him. She was startled slightly when the teen stood up from behind the piles of documents.

"Miaka-san." He greeted before returning to his seat.

The purple haired girl walked around the desk, avoiding the papers that were scattered on the ground, and watched as Gaara read the file in his hands. She eyed the piles of papers and noticed how the signed documents and the unsigned documents were mixed in with each other. Miaka frowned and shook her head.

"I don't understand why you're so adamant about doing everything yourself." She muttered as she began to pick up some of the fallen documents reading them over and placing them in alphabetical order. "You have delegates, you know…so delegate." She grumbled as she began to sort through the signed and unsigned papers separating them into two different piles. "I know what you need!" she stopped sorting through the documents and looked at him.

Green eyes turned to the grinning girl. "You need a secretary!"

"No." he turned back to his documents ignoring her indignant face.

"What?" she asked. "What do you mean no?" Her eyes narrowed when seconds ticked by and there was still no response from the red head Kazekage. "Gaara-san…" she sighed. "_Look _at this." She gestured to, not his desk, but the entire room. "It's a mess! At least with a secretary this place would stay clean."

"I said no, Miaka-san. Let it be." Miaka huffed silently and finished alphabetizing the documents on his desk before turning to the seat across from the working redhead. Just as she was about to sit, she yelped and jumped up turning to the chair only to see a pin on it. The girl snatched the pin, quickly scanned the chair for more, finding none she sat down.

Miaka crossed her arms and tilted her head as Gaara signed the document in his hands and placed it on the unsigned pile. Rolling her eyes she picked up the document, put it in its correct spot and handed him the next file.

"Can you at least tell me why you don't want a secretary?" Miaka waited patiently for Gaara as he signed the file and looked up at her, his green meeting her hazel.

"Because secretaries are untrustworthy. They could lose documents and at least with this I know that all my papers are in the room somewhere."

"Now, that's not true." The red head gave her a look and she crossed her arms. "Why not get your sister or brother to help?" she asked but by the incredulous look he gave her she shook her head. "You're right. Forget I asked."

Miaka leaned back against the chair and stared at the ceiling. This had become a habit of theirs. If she wasn't tired she'd visit him and watch him do paper work before she felt tired enough to go to bed, in which case the new Kage would stop what he was doing and walk her home. Gaara regarded the girl silently. She was organized, she knew the villagers and the villagers knew her, she was well read…

"Why don't you do it?" he asked, putting the document down on his desk.

"W-what?" she blinked her hazel orbs at him.

"Miaka-san, be my secretary." The purple haired teen blinked at the redhead. Did she even have a choice?

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	15. Purple

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Purple

Miaka's purple hair brushed his shoulder when she leaned forward to snatch a signed document from him. The smell of orange blossoms filled his office as the purple haired young lady moved about the area picking up after him. All Gaara could do was stare as she fixed his bookshelf, took the last documents from the table and left the room with a silent 'have a nice day.'

He blinked and looked down at his desk…completely organized nothing out of place, his pens and brushes all in their proper place, and no more documents to sign. He was done for the day. Miaka had just left to give the council the signed papers before she headed off to her parents home again. Then after that she'd stop to check up on him, to make sure he'd eaten.

Carefully he picked up one pen and then another, and another and left them all over his desk. He went to his book shelf and randomly selected a book and pulled it out, allowing the rest of them to slide to their side. He sat down on the chair across from his desk opened the book in his hands to a random page read one paragraph, got up and dropped it on the chair. His hat and white coat were next both littering the ground here and there. Gaara looked back at his office and nodded once, content with the mess before heading out to eat, mind set on returning to his office before she did.

**Forgive me for the short chapters. They will be varying in size from here on out. **

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	16. Request

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Request

"What is this?" he looked up from the formally written scroll to the purple haired girl who stood across from his desk.

"My mother needs me to go to the Fire Country to talk with the Feudal Lord and deliver some herbs…" her voice thinned as she reached the end of the sentence.

Gaara kept his cool green eyes on her. "You're not a ninja."

"It's not a mission, Gaara-sama."

He tilted his head at the title. Miaka had never called him 'sama' in private before…but he supposed that this was not like before. Her request to leave the country was a serious matter. She was not asking him as a friend but rather as her superior.

"Why can't your mother go instead?"

"She has her hands full here. Your medical staff is working on the effects of a new plant."

"You are my secretary you'll be gone for eleven days, work piles up."

"I have arranged for a replacement until I return."

Gaara stared at her long and hard before he sighed in defeat. "Very well, but as you are now a resident of this village you will be escorted by three of my ninja."

Miaka nodded firmly. "Yes, Gaara-sama."

"I also need you to inform me when you will be returning."

"Yes, Gaara-sama." She nodded once again. "Anything else Gaara-sama?"

The redhead laced his fingers together atop of the desk. "No, that's all." Miaka bowed and turned to leave. She opened the door and stopped just as she was about to step out. The purple haired girl turned to him and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Gaara-san."

The next day he saw her off. His brother and sister stood beside him. Once she was out of view Kankuro patted his back while Temari gave him a sympathetic look. Somehow he felt that it would be a long eleven days.

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	17. Fire Country

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Fire Country

It had taken them three days to arrive to the land of fire, and only three minutes for Miaka to remember how much she hated staying over with the Feudal Lord and being around his wife. Apparently she had been set up by her mother and father in order to attend the Madam Shijimi's birthday party. Those liars!

The fourth day, after she handed the documents her father had told her to give to the lord, she was forced into sitting in with his wife for tea. The following day the woman all but dragged her to meet a few of her friends and they spent the entire day looking for kimonos for themselves as well as for her. The day after that she was forced to go with the feudal lord's wife and company to for a cake tasting, that took several hours. The day after that they went off to make final adjustments to the party room.

"Consider it training for when you have to do this one day. Think of all the _fun_ you'll have!" The plump woman said as she fixed the centerpiece of a table near her. Miaka could feel her eyebrow twitch, _this _was considered _fun_?

The eighth day she managed to catch a break from the woman for two hours before she was hauled off to hair and makeup.

Miaka sighed and stared at her reflection. The fifteen year old took a deep breath, put on her best fake smile and headed out to the party. She stood awkwardly to the side, holding her glass of water as she smiled and said 'hello' to the people that bothered to look at her. The purple haired teen had just made up her mind about staying for one more hour before heading off to her room, with the excuse that she was going to have a long trip back to Suna when the plump woman dragged her over to the other side of the room.

"Miaka-chan, this is Koji-kun. He's the son of the Feudal Lord in the Land of Springs."

The purple haired teen looked up to see a tall young man with brown hair and bright green eyes. She blushed as he took her hand and kissed it giving her a warm smile. Ok, so maybe she could stay for a _few_ more hours.

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	18. Day

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Day

The first three days Temari found her brother pacing back and forth in his office, only calming down when one ninja reported that Miaka and her escorts had arrived safely to the Fire Country. The fourth day he began working once again with Matsuri acting as Miaka's temporary replacement. The fifth day he found himself staring at Matsuri as she rearranged his bookshelf only to fix it himself, once again since Matsuri hadn't done it quite like Miaka did. The sixth day Matsuri had been fifteen minutes late and had come face to face with a disaster of an office. The seventh day Gaara had been spotted at the hospital late in the evening as if waiting for something or someone. The eight day the Kazekage received a scroll from Miaka, announcing that she would be heading back to Suna.

The ninth day Gaara appeared to be in a noticeably better mood. The tenth day Gaara took to taking long walks around his village occasionally stopping by the hospital and then the border before heading back to his office to read more documents handing them over to Matsuri who had just barely gotten the hang of things in his office. The eleventh day came.

The morning turned into noon, and noon slowly turned into evening, and finally, the evening turned into night. Gaara had spent the majority of the day between the border and his office waiting for news on the purple haired girl all the while an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. When her parents came in at ten at night worried and asking him about their daughter he _really_ began to worry. He sent out a border patrol squad to search the area, it wasn't until midnight that they returned with two body bags and one barely conscious ninja. The three men that they found had been the same ninja he had sent with Miaka to the land of fire.

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	19. Eleven

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Eleven

"We're almost there." Sighed one of the men accompanying her as the day slowly turned to night. "We'll camp out here for tonight." He instructed.

The other two ninja hurriedly took out the tents and began to set them up. Miaka had sat on the green grass exhausted. She had never walked so much in her life. Of course it didn't help that she had stayed up till midnight talking with Koji. Miaka smiled and before setting out to help the men gather firewood.

Early that next morning the group headed out again. She had dressed in one of the kimonos that Madam Shijimi had given her. She had said that it was good for the heat because it was made of light material, surprisingly she was right.

"How long until we reach Suna?" Miaka asked as they set foot in the sandy area, leaving the green grass behind them.

The tall man tilted his head up to gaze at the sun. "Hmm…not long. About three hours at most."

She nodded as they continued walking until, not even five minutes later, a hand pulled her back. The three ninja surrounded her taking out their kunai, their eyes fixed on the small group of approaching men.

"My, my…what have we here?" the tall man at the center of the group said with a smirk on his face. He tilted his head, light blue hair falling over his tan forehead, grey eyes leering at her. "Well aren't you a beauty."

Miaka frowned as the men around her tensed ready for a fight.

"Who are you?" Asked one of her guards. "State your business!"

The blue haired man chuckled. His group of cronies did as well until he raised a hand to stop them. "We're only travelers, passing by." His grey eyes still on her. "So what's your name sweet heart?"

"Hey boss, look at her clothes. I've seen kimonos on plenty of women before but the one she's wearing is fine silk." Pointed out one of the men behind him.

"Hmm…" he smirked and stroked his chin. "So, sweet heart, are you like some sort of princess or something?" When she didn't answer he chuckled. "You're a shy one, huh…"

"Leave us be, and you won't get hurt." Her head guard told the group of men all which took to laughing at his warning.

"No can do, big guy." Said the blue haired man. "You see, it's like this. We're bandits, we steal money. When I saw your little group I figured, 'hey why don't I take a look at what these goons have,' so I came to check it out and to my surprise I find a beautiful little princess. So I think I'm just going to take her!"

The group of men rushed at them. Miaka stood paralyzed in fear as the fight began. She watched as the group of bandits began forming hand seals. Her guards tensed at what they saw.

"They're ninja!" one of them exclaimed.

"Protect Miaka-san at all cost!" ordered the captain as he made a few hand signs of his own. "Sand Shuriken!"

"Earth Style: Earth wall!" yelled out the biggest one of the bunch. A wall of rock stopped the shuriken from hitting their targets as they rushed at the Sand ninja. The man on her right was brought down to the ground as three men pounced on him, all the while her other two guards tried to keep the men away.

Having kicked one man back the captain turned to Miaka, thrusting a kunai in her hand. "Take this and run!" he ordered.

"But—" She was cut off as the man fell to the ground and rolled on top of the ninja that had attacked him, punching him hard enough to knock him out. The captain looked up at her again.

"GO!"

Trembling Miaka managed to turn around and made it towards the grassy area, gripping the piece of steel tightly. She headed towards the grassy woods that made up the River Country. Miaka jumped over tree roots and pulled at her kimono when it got caught on a branch. She kept running until she was tackled down to the ground. The person on top of her turned her around. Miaka fought back when she realized it was the leader of the group of bandits.

"Get _off_ of me!" she yelled taking the kunai in her hand and stabbed his thigh causing him to cry out in pain. Using that to her advantage, Miaka punched the man as hard as she could and squirmed out from under him, ignoring the throbbing pain in her hand. She turned and began to get up when she felt the man yank her kimono back. She pulled harder and the fabric ripped. Leaping to her feet, Miaka tried to run but only managed to take two steps forward before the blue haired man brought her back down to the ground.

"You're not going anywhere sweet heart." He said as he straddled her just before he punched the side of her head.

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	20. Loss

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Loss

"Forgive me Kazekage-sama." The bandaged man bowed from his spot on the hospital bed.

"You said a group of bandits attacked you?" Temari asked as she looked at a bingo book.

The ninja nodded. "Yes."

"Is this the one who attacked you?" The blonde turned the book to him and showed him a picture. The ninja's eyes widened.

"Yes! That's him! He was the leader of the band that attacked us and took Miaka-san!"

From the corner of the room, Miaka's mother whimpered and turned to her husband who held her close. Gaara stepped forward and took the book from his sister. The man was tall and tan, had light blue hair, and silver eyes.

"Izo Misuto…" Gaara read the name in the bingo book. He was a ninja from the village hidden in the grass but he went rogue a few years back. Snapping the book shut he handed it back to his sister before turning to leave the room.

"Gaara!" Kankuro called after him following the redhead out. "Gaara!" he pulled his little brother back by the shoulder. "You can't just leave, Gaara. The village needs you."

The redhead narrowed his eyes at his brother. "Miaka-san is in danger." Kankuro stared at his brother for a few seconds trying to decide what to do.

"Go." The two brothers turned to see their sister standing by the hospital's entrance. "I already sent word to the Hokage about this. I'll stay and handle things here."

"Do you think they'll help?" Kankuro asked, referring to the leaf village.

"She and her family were sent here upon the Hokage's request and knowing them, they will." Temari assured. She turned to her brother and smiled. "Hurry, it's been an entire day now, they could be hiding somewhere in the River Country or maybe the Fire Country."

Gaara gave his sister a nod and disappeared with the sand. Kankuro whined and rushed to the village's main entrance.

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	21. Hostage

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Hostage

Four days. It had been four days since she had been captured and tied to the bed. The blue haired man, whose name she found out to be Izo, liked to taunt her. He fed her, and talked to her a lot. He liked her hair, he had told her once while practically force feeding her.

"You're so pretty." He stroked her cheek. Miaka growled and tugged at her restraints. "No." he admonished, pushing her hands back down. "Don't do that. It'll only give you more bruises, and I like to keep my possessions in mint condition." He smiled and took her chin firmly turning her face to the left to inspect her slightly swollen purple eye.

"It'll be gone soon…and then…" he leaned forward, sniffing her hair making her shiver in disgust.

"Please, let me go." She pleaded and tried to pull away from him but he kept her in place.

"Say my name." he told her while brushing some of her bangs to the side. "Come on, I told you my name now say it."

This guy was _sick_. She gritted her teeth as he kept stroking her purple locks. He suddenly yanked her hair making her cry out in pain.

"Say it!"

Miaka felt tears in her eyes but held them back. She was not about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. "Izo…Your name is Izo." She said as calmly as she could and his grip on her hair loosened. He smoothed out her purple locks and smiled.

"Good girl." He placed a kiss on her temple and left the room.

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	22. Search

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Search

Gaara followed Shino and his teammates as they made their way to a small little town in the outskirts of the fire country.

"He was spotted in the area yesterday." Shino explained to the silent red head.

"With my Byakugan, I'll be able to find him, and find Miaka-san as well." Hinata added as she landed on a tree branch.

Gaara landed gracefully on the hill that overlooked the tiny town. Green eyes turned to the bug user.

"Are you sure she is here?" he asked.

"That's what we're going to find out." Answered the Inuzuka that sat atop of his large white dog.

The Hyuga stood beside them, her kekkei genkai activated, looking down at the town. A few seconds passed before she pointed at a tall white building.

"It's a hotel. They're on the third floor, in the second room."

Gaara turned to Hinata who seemed visibly paler. "What is it?"

When she didn't answer Shino stepped forward concerned. "Hinata-san?"

"He has her tied to a bed. He…" Hinata shook her head. "We need to hurry."

The four ninja headed full speed towards the hotel. They ignored the angry calls from the owner and quickly arrived to the door. Kicking it down they spotted the man atop a scarcely clad Miaka.

Gaara's green eyes turned to girl. She had bruises on her hands and neck, little beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, her face was flushed and her eyes seemed unfocused. She was sick. In one quick movement he had Izo in the air held up by his sand. A group of the blue haired man's subordinates broke into the room. He had them pinned against the wall without even batting an eye.

The members of Team Kurenai tensed upon feeling the blood lust from the redheaded Kazekage. The bandits began to scream in pain as the sand around them began to constrict.

"Ga…Gaara-san?" Miaka's voice caught Gaara's attention. He quickly went to the side of the bed, and broke her restraints before wrapping her up in one of the white sheets she was laying on.

"Gaara-san…" she smiled. "You came."

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	23. Safe

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Safe

"She's stable." Tsunade informed the Kazekage who stood in her office. "The only signs of abuse she had were the bruises." Gaara continued to stare at her. With a sigh Tsunade folded her hands under her chest. "She wasn't raped. She'll be good to travel back to Suna today after she's discharged.

An invisible weight on his shoulders lifted upon hearing the blonde woman's words. "Thank you."

Tsunade smiled. "No need."

As he headed back to the hospital he wondered what he would have done if the man had violated Miaka. He probably would have gone back to the jail and killed him. Something in him managed to snap when he saw what was about to transpire if they hadn't gotten there in time. He opened the door and stepped inside. The purple haired teen turned to look over her shoulder and smiled.

"Hello, Gaara-san." She turned to him wearing dark pants and a loose yellow long sleeved shirt. "When are we leaving?"

"Are you feeling ok?" He asked and Miaka blinked at him.

"Yes." She picked up the plastic bag on her bed that held the dirtied kimono, walked to the trash bin and threw it away. "Can we please go now? I want to see my parents."

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	24. Same

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Same

Five days had passed since the incident and everything seemed to return to normal. Miaka returned to working as his secretary immediately and began organizing his office as usual, but he noticed something different as she moved about the room.

Miaka would jump at the slightest sound. She would stiffen and pale when anyone touched her. She always kept at a safe distance from everyone, including him. She now pulled her shoulder length purple hair back in a bun, and refused to look people in the eye.

She began developing nervous habits when stared at for too long, like biting her nails, or playing with her clothes. If she did not keep herself occupied she would pace around the room aimlessly. Miaka had become a nervous wreck. Yet when he would ask her what was wrong she would either reply with 'nothing' or change the topic all together.

As Miaka handed him the last file for the evening, their fingers brushing in the exchange and upon seeing her cringe at the contact, Gaara had finally had enough. Sure he was aware that he was a daemon vessel and that he had done wrong in the past, he understood when people cringed away from him, but he did not understand why _she _would do such a thing when she had never done it before.

For some reason her actions were affecting him and he didn't quite know why. He felt slightly miffed at her. Couldn't she tell that he wouldn't hurt her?

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	25. Fear

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

**Introductions**

Fear

"Miaka-san…" the purple haired teen stiffened and turned to Gaara as he stood in his office looking out his window. She had just come in to leave a new stack of papers he needed to look over when he called her.

"Yes, Gaara-san?" Her hazel eyes watched him as he turned and walked around his desk coming up to face her.

Green eyes bore in to her hazel ones for a minute. He noticed the slight tremor that shook her body and sighed. Maybe now was the time to take Temari's advice. She was, as she put it, his wise older sister.

"Do you…" he hesitated. "…Do you need to talk about it?"

She blinked. "About what?" She bit her lip when she saw him frown at her.

"You know what I'm referring to, Miaka-san."

Miaka stood there quietly. Her eyes darted to the ground as she began to feel nervous under his gaze. Slowly she raised her hand to bite her thumb but he snatched it away. Startled, she bit back a scream and looked back up at the redhead who had his gaze on her hand.

"You never used to bite your nails before." He stated, eyes on her pale hand. "Are you afraid?"

He turned his green eyes to her. Miaka hesitated but realized that she couldn't lie to him. Gaara had a way of sniffing out lies…and fear.

So she nodded. "Yes." Her hazel eyes caught a flash of sadness as it crossed his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Are you afraid of me?"

Miaka shook her head. "No!"

Relief is what he felt when he heard her answer. He studied her face, etched with nervousness and unease. She was telling him the truth but…there was still something. "Tell me what you're afraid of."

She bit her lip and after a minute of deliberation, she spoke until there was nothing else left for her to say.

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	26. Training

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Training

"Your form is off." Gaara commented as he watched Miaka go through her stances. "Start from the beginning and stop at your fourth stance."

The purple haired teen sighed but did as she was told. She frowned concentrating on standing firm as she moved from one stance to the other but it was difficult with the smoldering heat of that day. She stopped on her fourth stance, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt his hands on her. Gaara gently guided her left hand back a bit and corrected her legs. Satisfied, he stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's how you do that stance. Continue."

Miaka slid to her next stance under Gaara's careful gaze. To say that she wasn't annoyed would be a lie. She could be at the hospital volunteering, or Gaara could be finishing up on some important projects for the village but no, the _Kazekage_ deemed it a good day to start teaching her fighting stances and on the roof top of his office no less. She slid into her next form and bit her lip to keep herself from flinching when she felt him hold her arms and guide her into the next stance. She was still trying to get used to people being around her.

Gaara on the other hand noted how stiff she became whenever he touched her but did not call her out on it. This was a good way to kill two birds with one stone. With this training he could help his purple haired secretary learn some basic self defense and get her used to human contact once again. Miaka needed to understand that not everyone was out to hurt her.

"How long have they been at it?" Kankuro asked his sister who leaned against the wall thankful for the shade on this hot day.

Temari glanced up at the sun. "About an hour or so."

"I've never seen Gaara-sama train someone in that manner before." Mumbled Matsuri, brown eyes on her sensei as he guided the purple haired girl through her next forms, something about how close they were to each other did not sit too well with the brunette.

"Hmm." Kankuro tilted his head. "You think it has anything to do with her kidnapping?"

"Probably." Neither one said another word. They stayed to watch a minute longer before heading back to work.

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	27. Mother

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Mother

"Kazekage-sama…" the young redhead glanced up from his book to stare at a purple haired woman with blue eyes, Miaka's mother. He snapped his book shut and gave her his full attention. The purpled haired woman smiled and entered the room closing the door behind her.

"Kazekage-sama, I do not mean to be rude but…" her blue eyes shifted to the stack of papers neatly organized on the left side of his desk. "…What exactly are you doing with my daughter?"

Gaara stared at her for a few seconds before replying. "What exactly do you mean, Hisakata-san?"

"Kazekage-sama, I am referring to you training my daughter in the ninja arts."

"Oh." he nodded. "I saw it necessary."

Her sharp blue eyes turned to him. "Necessary? Forgive me Kazekage-sama, but my daughter is a _lady_ not a ninja. I do not believe it is suitable for a lady of her class to be learning how to…how to fight!"

"Hisakata-san, your daughter needs to learn how to defend herself in case of any future attacks on her well being."

"Well that is why you have ninja. Just assign a body guard to her!"

"But what if the ninja I assign to her is harmed and she is left vulnerable like what happened a few months ago?" The woman remained silent, fists clenching at her sides. "I understand that it is not common for ladies of noble clans to learn how to fight, but we've seen the repercussions already and I am not willing to let that happen again. If there is a way to prevent such events from taking place in the future I will take action."

After a moment of consideration she bowed. "I understand, please forgive my intrusion." The woman turned to leave just as the door opened.

"Mother?"

"Miaka." The teen blinked at her mother who stepped outside and bid her goodbye. She turned to the Kage who sat patiently behind his desk. "What was she here for?"

"She just wanted to ask me a few questions. How was the hospital?"

Miaka sighed as she sat on the couch across his desk. "Busy."

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	28. Tea

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Tea

She hasn't lets her hair down anymore. Gaara noticed late in the afternoon when Miaka entered the room with a tray holding two cups of tea. He offered her a small smile as she brushed back some stray purple piece of hair and put it behind her ear.

Quietly she placed the cup before him and took hers before sitting back on the couch across from his. He watched her as she carefully took a sip from her tea and turned her attention to him.

"How was lunch with the feudal lord?" she asked him as she took another small sip.

Gaara sighed and shook his head. "The man only cares about money."

Miaka nodded in comprehension. "I told you."

"Yes you did." He admitted and decided to take a small drink. His eyes widened slightly when he swallowed the warm drink and looked back at her. "This is…"

Miaka straightened and looked at him with worried hazel eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"The tea…" he began. "Where did you get it from?"

"The kitchen. I'm sorry, it's just I wanted to try something new. If you don't like it—"

"No, it's not that. It's just that…" green eyes slid back to the yellowish water. "It was the same tea Yashamaru used to give me when I was younger."

"Yashamaru…?" The image of the gentle medic that had tended to her when she had been injured at the age of four came to mind. "Your uncle used to make you this tea?" she looked down at her own yellowish drink and smiled sadly.

Gaara turned back to the purpled haired girl wondering if he should tell her that it was he who had killed him several years back.

"He was a kind man." She looked up at him her hazel meeting his green.

Upon seeing the warm smile she had on her face he decided against it.

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	29. Tense

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Tense

Gaara sat quietly behind his desk reading a file while Miaka organized his book shelf and picked up stray pieces of paper from the floor.

"Is it really that hard for you to keep things together for three hours?" she asked as she flipped through folders trying to find the correct one in order to place the papers in their proper place.

He shrugged. "I have a lot of work coming in."

Miaka made a face as she finished filing the loose pages. With a content smile she set them aside and waited for the redhead to finish up with the file.

"You're tense…" she noted. Green eyes glanced up from the file before he went back to reading. "What's wrong?" They spent two minutes sitting in silence until Miaka sighed. "Gaara-san…"

He closed the file and handed it to her and rested his chin on his fingers while watching her stack the files neatly on his desk.

"Have you heard of Akatsuki?"

"Aka-what?"

Gaara closed his eyes in contemplation. He shouldn't even be talking about it. She was a civilian of Suna, temporarily, but a civilian none the less and she did not need to worry about something like the Akatsuki. He opened his eyes when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Miaka was leaning across his desk patting his back with a small smile.

"You don't have to bottle things up. I won't tell anyone." Offering her a small smile he sat up straight in his chair, Miaka following suit.

"The Akatsuki is an organization that is looking for jinchiruki." Miaka frowned. "They're coming out of hiding now, and it's a cause for alarm. That's why we're upping our border security."

"That would explain why I'm not seeing as many ninja in the village." Miaka nodded. "So does this mean they could come after you?"

Gaara looked at her then. How much did she know? He watched as she smiled at him tilting her head to the side. "My father explained it to me when I woke up from—" she hesitated before whispering "…your attack." His attack? That's right he had almost killed her when they were four. "He told me that you had a daemon called the One Tail."

He nodded catching her worried gaze. "I'll be fine." He reassured. "I'm the Kazekage, remember."

Miaka laughed. "A messy one at that."

Gaara offered her a small smile before he tensed up. Quickly turning to the window his eyes narrowed. Miaka moved to stand next to him a worried expression on her face.

"Gaara-san?"

"Stay here." He ordered as he handed her his robe and leapt out of the window.

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	30. Attack

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Attack

Miaka heard the explosions coming from outside. Her grip on the white cloak tightened as she peered through the window overlooking the village. She spotted Gaara as he fought a blonde man in a black cloak with red clouds at the bottom. She then spotted several other ninja quickly approaching the area. There was piercing cry that caught her attention. A few of the ninja had been hit by the bombs the blonde man was throwing.

With newfound determination, Miaka quickly folded the cloak placed it on the desk and rushed out of the building. As soon as she stepped outside of the Kage tower she heard several more explosions all of them blocked by Gaara's sand.

"Miaka-san!" she turned and saw one of the medics that she worked for run up to her. "You need to get back, this place is battlefield. Gaara-sama wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Miaka frowned. "I'll be fine, just let me help get the injured to the hospital."

The medic nin stared at her for a few seconds, his eyes darting around spotting the few medics out in the village. Most of them had stayed behind, anticipating an increase of people heading for the hospital injured. With a sigh the man hand her his pouch.

"Wrap up anyone who is bleeding and send them to the hospital if they can't move, help them."

"Right!" she watched the medic leap off then rushed forward spotting a fallen man. She turned him over and noticed the binoculars in his hand. He was one of the sky guards. She quickly began to bandage up his arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Where…?"

"Shh…" she quieted. "You're going to be fine, can you walk?" the man slowly got on his feet and nodded. "Good, I need you to head to the hospital to get checked up, I'm going to look for more injured." Again the man nodded and watched the purple haired girl run off.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Miaka heard a ninja yell. The teen stopped dead in her tracks, looked around and saw that everyone had their eyes on the dark night sky. Frowning she looked up as well, and watched a large, white, birdlike thing as it fell towards them.

She heard everyone shout around her until she squeezed her eyes shut until she heard a large explosion. Clutching her ears she grimaced at the intensity of the sound before peeking up at the sky. There above them was Gaara's sand protecting them from the bomb. While everyone cheered, Miaka rushed through the village glancing up at the buildings until she spotted who she was looking for. Quickly she entered the building and ran up the stairs reaching the rooftop.

"Kankuro-san!" Miaka leaned forward on her knees, struggling to catch her breath. The puppet master turned to her in surprise.

"Miaka-chan! What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Miaka-san!?" Baki exclaimed taking a step forward.

It was no secret that the Kazekage was protective of his secretary. That was why…

Baki glanced up at the sphere of sand that protected Gaara, if the Kazekage found out that she was out here he'd have their heads.

"Miaka-san, you need to get out of here. It's not—"

"Forget about that! Aren't you going to help Gaara-sama!?" The girl interrupted pointing at the sky where the blonde man and the redhead teen were facing off.

"Don't worry about that, Miaka-chan." Kankuro assured. "He'll be fine. This is Gaara we're talking about."

"Gaara-sama!" she called out when the sand sphere began to dissolve leaving the redhead to hang uselessly in the air before falling straight into the tail of the white bird that the blonde man was riding. They all heard the blonde laugh as he flew away from the village.

"Gaara-sama!" Miaka stepped forward only to be held back by Baki while Kankuro rushed after them.

"Kankuro! Where the hell do you think you're going?! He was strong enough to beat Gaara, you won't even stand a chance!" Baki exclaimed.

The puppet user turned to his teacher. "And what do you expect me to do, just sit back and wait?!"

Baki gritted his teeth. "Fine, just follow them and don't take action. If we can find their base then we can regroup and plan an attack."

"Got it!" Kankuro called out as he leapt to another roof. "Take care of Miaka-chan!"

Baki looked down at the teen in his hands. Her hazel eyes fixed on Kankuro's back as he disappeared. The girl pulled away from him and headed for the stairs running back down the building.

"Miaka-san!" He called leaning over the railing watching as the purple haired girl rushed towards the Kage tower. "Damn!"

"Miaka-san!" exclaimed a guard ninja as he saw the purple haired teen rush towards the room where they kept the messenger hawk.

"I need a scroll and ink!" she ordered. The man nodded and returned quickly with the two materials. He watched as she quickly wrote an encrypted letter to the Hokage, rolled up the scroll and rushed to one of the birds cages. She took out a large brown hawk and rushed out to the balcony. Miaka strapped the scroll onto the hawk's bag and ruffled his feathers up a bit.

"Take this to Konoha, as fast as you can, Takamaru." The hawk bobbed its head before taking flight.

Baki burst through the door just as the hawk took off. "Did you send word to the Hokage?" Miaka nodded. The man sighed. The girl was bright, she thought ahead. It was no wonder Gaara had taken a liking to her.

"He'll be fine." He assured, but something in her told her that it wouldn't.

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	31. Worry

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Worry

"Mother?" Miaka called once the purple haired woman stepped out of the room. Kankuro had been found wounded a few hours ago. "How is he?"

"Miaka…" the woman sighed and shook her head. "It's a new type of poison. We're trying to find an antidote but without knowing what the poison was made of to begin with…"

The girl turned he hazel eyes to the door. "How long?"

"Two…maybe three days before we lose him."

Miaka felt her eyes water. First it was Gaara and now Kankuro. Biting her lip she opened the door and stepped inside followed closely behind by her mother. She brought her hands to her chest upon the sight of a pale Kankuro. His purple paint had been wiped off, his torso was exposed, his clothes littering the floor of the hospital. Baki was standing beside him fights clenched into tight balls.

"It's…him…" everyone in the room stilled when the brunette male on the bed spoke.

"Kankuro?" Baki leaned forward as the young man whispered urgently to him. Miaka and her mother watched as the man stood up rigidly and quickly made his way to the door.

"Take care of him." He told Miaka as he passed her by.

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	32. Help

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Help

She really didn't like the old woman. Miaka frowned as Chiyo, the eldest of the retired sand siblings stood in the hospital room criticizing her, her mother, and her father.

"You Konoha people should learn to mind your own business." She continued. "That damn slug woman…sending useless civilians, what she should have sent is ninja not politicians!"

"First of all," Her father began. One look at him and Miaka could tell he had had enough. "We don't come from Konoha, we lived with the Feudal lord. Second of all, if it wasn't for the Hokage sending us, 'useless civilians' your schools, greenhouse, and medicinal herbs would have still been close to useless!"

The old woman chuckled. "Looks like the civilian barks."

The purple haired teen growled. "All right listen here you old crone—"

"Miaka!" her mother scolded.

"Kankuro!" the small group turned to see Temari barge into the room followed by a pretty pink haired girl. In a matter of seconds the old woman disappeared only to reappear by the entrance, her attack on the silver haired man being blocked by a blonde teen and his clones.

"What the hell is wrong with you, old hag!" the boy yelled and her mother cringed. Miaka mentally sighed, her mother and her old customs.

"I remember that face anywhere!" said Chiyo as she readied herself for another attack. "The White Fang of Konoha, you killed my son and now I will avenge him!"

Suddenly her brother came up besides her stopping the old woman. "Take a good look sis. He may look like him, but that is not the White Fang." Chiyo did as she was told before laughing it up saying that she was just pretending.

"Forget about that!" Miaka interrupted the laughing woman. "Kankuro-san needs help!"

"Let me." The pink haired girl stepped forward placing her hands over his body a green glow emitting from them. "I'm going to need a bowl of water."

Miaka nodded and quickly went to go fetch what the teen had asked for, placing it on a small table next to her.

"I'm going to remove as much of the poison as I can. Please hold him down." The men in the room approached the unconscious teen and held his legs and arms down as the pink haired girl began to pull the poison from his body. Kankuro jerked and moaned in pain as the girl continued the process until she pulled back holding a small black blob in her hand. "I got it!"

Miaka's eyes widened. "That's it?" she asked. The girl turned to her and smiled.

"Yup. There's no more reason to worry for his life, I removed most of the poison. Now with this…" she said referring to the blob that floated around the water. "I can make an antidote for the little bit of it that is left in his body."

"I can take a look at it." Her mother spoke. "There is a greenhouse were all the plants are stored here. If we can find the plant that it was made from we can make an antidote."

The girl smiled. "Yes! That'll be very useful!"

"You're like the slug woman." Chiyo commented.

"Slug woman?" she repeated a bit confused.

"She's referring to Tsunade-hime." Her father offered. "You're her apprentice, am I right?"

The girl grinned. "Yes, my name is Sakura Haruno and Tsunade-sama is my master."

"Thank you so much for coming." Miaka's father bowed at their sensei who tilted his head.

"It's been a long time, Toshi-san." The silver haired man smiled from behind his mask. Her father returned the gesture.

"A long time in deed."

"Huh?!" the blonde stepped around his sensei and looked up at her father. "Kakashi-sensei, you know him?"

Kakashi nodded. "I was one of the ninja that escorted him and his family here for the first time eleven years ago."

"Wait, what?!" the blonde exclaimed. "They…" he pointed at Miaka, her mother and father. "…Are not from here?"

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi sighed. "Toshi-san is a diplomat his wife, Rina-san is a botanist. They were sent by the third in order to help out Suna."

"That's right." Temari added and stepped next to the purple haired girl. "Miaka-chan here is Gaara's secretary. I'm also willing to bet that she was the one to send Konoha the news about Gaara's kidnapping, weren't you?" Miaka looked down and nodded in agreement.

"Ooh…" the blonde nodded. "I see. So you've been looking after Gaara, then?"

"In a way…Are you going to help bring back Gaara-sama?" Miaka asked. Naruto turned his blue orbs to the girl and grinned.

"Yup! As soon as Sakura-chan finishes up here we're going after Gaara!" He scratched his cheek and extended his hand. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, by the way."

Miaka smiled, a small sigh of relief leaving her lips. "Thank you, Uzumaki-san!" She reached for his hand with her own and shook it. "I'm Miaka Hisakata."

The blonde laughed nervously, a blush forming on his cheeks as he scratched his head. "Aww…don't call me 'Uzumaki-san' it makes me feel old!"

"Then what should I call you?"

The blonde blinked. "Uh…how about Naruto?"

"Ok, Naruto-kun…Thank you!"

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	33. Hope

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Hope

"Drink it all up." Sakura instructed as she basically forced Kankuro to drink the antidote. Once finished he coughed and hacked making faces in disgust. "You should be fine now. Until the paralysis wears off, please don't move." Sakura turned to Temari and Miaka. "And make sure he gets some sleep."

"Right." The two teens answered.

Just as the group began to leave Kankuro stopped them. "Naruto-san…please bring back my brother."

Naruto grinned. "Don't worry! I'll bring him back, because someday I'll be Hokage too so I'll secure an advanced favor from the Kazekage!"

The Konoha team left and a few minutes after putting her brother to sleep, Temari headed for the door.

"Temari-san…?" The blonde turned to Miaka then, determination in her teal eyes.

"Take care of Kankuro, Miaka-chan." She instructed before dashing out the door.

Miaka bit her lip worriedly as she looked down at the sleeping brunette. "Please be ok, Gaara-san…" she silently prayed.

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	34. Determination

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Determination

Miaka stood in the middle of the group of ninja, eyes narrowed at Kankuro and Temari.

"You're not going." The male said. "It's too dangerous for a civilian."

"My brother's right. Miaka-chan, stay here we'll be back with my Gaara in no time."

"No." Miaka replied angered that they treated her like a child. "I'm going even if I have to head out on my own after you're gone."

The two sand siblings looked at each other while behind them the group of ninja began whispering amongst themselves. Miaka stood her ground as she looked up at the two ninja, hands clenched at her sides while her hazel eyes bore into theirs. Temari sighed and shook her head. She knew that Miaka would go after them even if she told two or three ninja to guard her. The purple haired teen had a knack for snaking around without being noticed, something she suspected Gaara had taught her during one of their many training sessions.

"Fine you can come…" the blonde finally agreed while her brother gaped at her.

"But Temari! What if something happens to her?!"

The blonde jounin narrowed her teal green eyes. "Well then let's make sure nothing does."

Miaka grinned triumphantly as they all headed out to the main gate.

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	35. Relief

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Relief

When they arrived they found Naruto and his team along with another group of Konoha ninja huddled around a body on the ground. As the group of ninja and Miaka got closer they could make out bright red hair.

"Gaara!" Temari and Kankuro cried out and sped up. Miaka was soon left behind as everyone rushed forward. By the time she arrived, panting, and sweating, she saw that Chiyo and Naruto were leaning over the redheaded Kazekage a bright blue glow emitting from the elder's hands.

"W-what happened?" She asked the frozen Temari.

"He…He's dead." Miaka turned to Temari shocked and quickly turned to Gaara. There was a sharp pang on her chest and she felt as if she couldn't breathe. She was sure she was close to hyperventilating when she heard the pink haired ninja speak.

"But Chiyo-sama is bringing him back!" Sakura quickly explained.

Relief flooded over her as she watched the bright blue glow slowly disappear. Chiyo fell to her side, Sakura catching her before she hit the ground. Gaara sat up slowly just then as Naruto called his name. He looked around to see a large group of sand ninja standing in a circle around him.

"This…" he began in awe.

Naruto laughed and patted his back. "Everyone came rushing to save you! You really put us through a lot!"

Kankuro stepped forward. "That's for sure. You're a little brother I always have to worry about." He chuckled hands on his hips.

"Don't go around getting all complacent. Gaara's still the Kazekage so don't be so cheeky." Temari scolded. "You're all just subordinates!" She kneeled down beside her brother however and pushed Naruto away. "Gaara…how are you feeling?" she whispered.

The redhead tried to stand but was quickly scolded by his sister. It was too soon for him to try to do much of anything. He had just come back from the dead after all. Beside her a shinobi began to cry.

"This is great…I can't even imagine what would have happened if the Kazekage were to die…" He was quickly hit in the head by Matsuri who glared daggers at him.

"No way Gaara-sama would die that easily!" The poor man held his head in pain as Matsuri and her friend began to gush over the Kazekage. Suddenly they both pushed past Miaka and the shinobi claiming that next time they would be the ones to save him, both managing to shove Naruto aside as they fought for Gaara's attention.

"Don't feel too bad. Girls are always weak at the knees for elite cool ninja types." Kankuro tried to cheer Naruto up as the blonde picked himself up.

Naruto laughed. "Speaking of which…" Naruto said as he spotted the purple haired girl standing amongst all the commotion. "Miaka-chan!" he swung an arm around the girls shoulders, his loud outburst catching Gaara's attention.

"Naruto-kun!" she blushed feeling everyone's gaze on her. "What are you doing?" she whispered as he practically dragged her forward.

"Hey, Gaara…" the redhead eyed the two teens one who grinned down at him and the other who looked at anything but him. Something in him stirred when he spotted Naruto's arm around Miaka and whatever it was, it didn't feel friendly. "Miaka-chan here was worried sick! She's the one who sent the news of your kidnapping as soon as it happened. You've got a great secretary!"

"Miaka-san…" Gaara whispered, her hazel eyes shifting to meet his green.

"I'm glad you're safe, Gaara-sama." She smiled and then turned to the blonde. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Don't thank me. Thank Chiyo-baasama." He looked over at the old woman in Sakura's arms. "She brought him back, the jutsu she used just took a load off her. She's sleeping now."

Miaka looked from Naruto to Chiyo, a worried look slowly crossing her features. She may not be a doctor but she had spent enough time at the hospital to know when someone was sleeping and when they weren't. "Naruto-kun…" she began slowly.

"She's not sleeping." Kankuro finished. "She's dead. She exchanged her soul to get Gaara back." After hearing Kankuro's explanation Gaara once again tried to stand. He wobbled at his attempt until Naruto and Miaka grabbed one arm each and helped pull him up. Miaka stepped back as Naruto and Gaara stepped toward Sakura, who held Chiyo in her arms.

"Everyone, say a prayer for Chiyo-sama." As soon as those words left Gaara's mouth everyone bowed their heads in respect, closing their eyes and uttering a silent prayer.

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	36. Parting

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Parting

"Well, see ya!" Kankuro grinned down at Naruto, the blonde's teammates standing behind him. He felt something jab into his side and yelped. Glancing down he saw a glaring Miaka and sighed. The girl had definitely been raised as a lady. "I mean good bye, Naruto."

"Yeah…" he scratched his cheek and laughed. "I guess this is when you normally shake hands and part ways but…I'm bad at that kind of thing so—"

He stopped talking when he saw Gaara offer him his hand a small smile on his face. Naruto looked at Gaara nervously until he felt something tugging at his right hands. He glanced down and saw it was sand that lightly wrapped around him. With a grin the blonde shook Gaara's hand and just as he pulled away he turned to the four teens standing at the gate's entrance.

"Take good care of that guy, Miaka-chan!"

Miaka looked at the blonde in surprise for a second before she smiled and waved her hand. "Have a safe trip, Naruto-kun!"

They stood there, in the scorching sun until the group disappeared from sight. Gaara turned to Miaka who looked up at him smile still in place. "Tell me, what new projects does the council want to start now."

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	37. Forward

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Forward

"Is that all?" Gaara looked up at his secretary as he handed her a scroll.

Miaka looked down at her notepad and she nodded. "Yes, Gaara-san, that' all for now." She bowed and turned on her heel about to open the door when the Kazekage called her.

"Miaka-san…"

"Yes, Gaara-san?" she turned to him, a smile on her face. She was in good spirits now that the redhead was back, safe and sound. If something had happened to him back then…She shivered. It didn't happen and it wouldn't happen again, Gaara was strong. He can take care of himself.

He looked down at his desk before speaking. "Why do you call me Gaara-sama outside of the office?"

The girl blinked. "It's rude of me to speak so informally with you in front of everyone when you are the Kazekage and I am just another civilian."

"You are not just another civilian, you are my friend."

Miaka shook her head. "Still, outside of this room, I need to show you proper respect."

"Then…" he began. "Why do you call me Gaara-san?"

She tilted her head. "…Because, I've always called you Gaara-san." She smiled warmly at him.

"Yet, you call Naruto, Naruto-kun and you had only known him for three days."

She blinked at him in confusion. "I called him Naruto-kun because he asked me to."

Gaara narrowed his green eyes at her. "So if I asked you to stop calling me Gaara-san, would you do it?"

She stiffened. "Where exactly is this going, Gaara-san?"

"I asked you a question, Miaka-san."

Her grip on the scroll in her arms tightened. Did he not like that she was familiar with him at some small level? Would he tell her to address him only as Kazekage-sama from now on? The thought made her nervous and sad. Taking a deep breath and answered. "I would if you asked me to."

"Well then Miaka-san, I ask that you not call me Gaara-san any longer."

She bit her lip but nodded nonetheless. "What would you prefer I call you?"

"Gaara-kun."

Miaka felt her mouth fall open at the request. She cleared her throat. Had she heard correctly? "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Call me Gaara-kun." He repeated bluntly as if it were the most normal thing in the world to ask for.

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. "I…I…Um…Ok." He nodded and opened his book.

Miaka stood by the door staring at the redhead as he read for a few more seconds before turning and stepping out into the hallway. She closed the door behind her and took five steps before turning around and entering the Kazekage's office again. He looked up from his book questioningly at her.

"G-Gaara-sa-_kun_…" saying that felt so strange and foreign to her but she guessed she'd have to get used to it.

"Miaka-san…" he nodded feeling strangely satisfied by the new level of familiarity that she was at with him.

"I want to ask something of you." He nodded letting her continue. "If I am to call you Gaara-kun, I would like you to call me Miaka-chan." She rushed out her request leaving Gaara to figure out the jumbled mess. When he did he nodded and offered her a small smile.

"Of course, Miaka-chan." He said in his usual cool manner. At the sound of her name, Miaka blushed. She quickly bowed and rushed out of his office.

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	38. Emergency

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Emergency

Miaka was curled up in her bed sleeping soundly when she heard a light knock on her window. She stirred but quickly went back to sleep until the light knock turned into excessive banging. Irritated, she threw the covers off and stalked to the window. She yanked the window sill open and glared at the ninja standing on her balcony.

"Do you have any idea what _time_ it is, Kankuro-san?!" she said through gritted teeth. The night was still cool and the moon was still out. It was way too early to be up right now.

"No time…" he reached for her arm pulling her forward ignoring her protest. "It's Gaara."

"Gaara-sama…?" Well that caught her attention. The tall brunette nodded and bent down to pick her up leaping off her room balcony and onto the rooftop of another building. Miaka screamed in surprise and buried her head into the teen's shirt, completely terrified.

"Afraid of heights?" he laughed only to receive a pinch on his arm courtesy of the small girl in his arms. She kept her eyes shut; only feeling the rush of the wind the jerking of them moving up and down as the roofs varied in height.

"Took you long enough!" Temari scolded as her brother landed on the ground effortlessly. Miaka scrambled to get down and as soon as her feet touched the ground she was quickly pulled into the building by the tall blonde. "Gaara is having a meltdown."

"A meltdown?" she echoed and noticed the presence of several ninja as she was dragged upstairs by Temari.

"He's having an anxiety attack from lack of sleep." Just as she said that Matsuri rushed out of Kazekage's room quickly shutting the door behind her.

"He won't listen to me!" The brunette cried in concern her friend was quick to be at her side to reassure her that everything will be fine.

"He's not listening to anybody." Temari replied.

Suddenly they heard something crash against the wall and the ninja that the two girls had passed on their way to Gaara's room soon appeared at the hallway. They heard as something else was thrown and all of them cringed at the sound and took a step back as loud banging soon followed the crash.

Miaka clenched her hands to her chest as she heard the noise. She turned to Temari questioningly. "What do you want _me_ to do about it?"

Temari looked down at her sternly. "I want you to help him."

"Help him?!" They all flinched at the sound of something shattering. "How am I supposed to help him? You just said that he wasn't listening to anyone!"

"We all tried to talk to him." Kankuro intervened putting a hand on Miaka's shoulder. "He won't listen to us, but he might listen to you."

Mika gaped at him. Had they lost their minds?! "_You're_ his older brother and sister! If he won't listen to you, why would he listen to me?!"

"Please, Miaka-chan…" Temari pleaded ignoring the sound of something slamming into the wall. "Please try, for his sake. He needs to sleep!"

Miaka looked at the blonde teen before taking a breath and stepping forward. She was doing this for Gaara. Slowly she reached for the doorknob and turned it pushing the door open and stepping in.

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	39. Rest

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Rest

The sight before her had her gaping. His room was a mess…no scratch that this wasn't a mess. This was a total disaster. Like there had been a miniature war in the room.

Her hazel eyes spotted Gaara sitting on the ground, in nothing more than his black sweatpants, clutching his head and breathing heavily next to the window. Slowly she took a step forward and cringed when her shoeless foot stepped on something sharp. She looked down to see the shards of a broken vase scattered all over the ground where her foot now was. Maybe she should have thought about this better.

"Miaka-san?" the redhead turned to her. The fact that he used her old suffix did not go unnoticed by the purpled haired girl. Maybe that's where she should start.

"You said you would call me Miaka-chan…remember?"

Gaara blinked and shook his head as if he had just remembered something important. "Right…" he opened his green eyes and looked around the room. "What are you doing here? Is it time to start work again?"

"No, Gaara-kun…" she quickly made her way over to him, inhaling sharply at the stinging sensation that she now felt on the soles of her feet.

"You called me…Gaara-kun…" he looked up at her.

"I did…" said Miaka as she kneeled down next to him.

"Say it again." He mumbled as she reached him.

"Gaara-kun…" slowly she placed her hand on his shoulder. "You need to sleep."

It was at that point that roughly snatched away from her, his green eyes mirroring the terror he felt. "Why does everyone want me to sleep?!" he exclaimed as he stood up, taking several steps back and startling Miaka in the process. "If I sleep the One-Tail is going to go berserk and destroy the village then—"

"There_ is_ no One-Tail." Miaka interrupted slowly standing up. "He was taken from you by the Akatsuki, remember?" She slowly approached him, like one would approach a scared animal. "You don't have to worry about it anymore."

"No…One-Tail?" Miaka shook her head at him

"He's gone and you need sleep. You don't remember it, but it happened two months ago. Your brain isn't rested, and you can't think straight because of it. You've been keeping yourself awake when there is no reason for it."

"But what if it's not really gone? What if—"

"Then I'll stay here." She offered. "I'll make sure nothing happens. If I notice something wrong I'll wake you up right away."

Gaara looked at her uncertainly and watched as she stepped closer to him. "What if I hurt you?"

Miaka smiled at him. "I trust you." Gently she took his arm and pulled him to the bed. "Come." She instructed. Once at the edge she pulled back the covers and stepped aside. "Gaara-kun, lay down." Hesitantly, he did as he was told and watched with wary eyes as she pulled the covers over him.

"Where will you stay?" Gaara asked.

"Um…" Miaka looked around the room and sighed. Gaara had thrown the couch to side of his room. The poor piece of furniture hadn't even survived the impact; it had nearly split in half.

"Stay here." She heard him say and turned to see him patting the empty half of his bed. Miaka blushed and took a step back.

"I-I can't. It's not proper." She winced, now she sounded like her mother.

"Here…" he said rather sternly.

Biting her lip, Miaka made her way around the bed to lie down next to him. She laced her fingers, laid her intertwined hands on her abdomen, and looked up at the dark ceiling. She heard Gaara shift in the bed and froze when she felt his hand tug on her right arm. She let her arm slide down her side; hazel eyes fixed on the ceiling and felt as his cold hand slid down it only to lace his fingers through hers. There was the sound of a deep sigh that was soon followed by steady, deep breaths. Miaka risked a glance to her right and found that he had fallen asleep almost instantly.

The door to the room opened a few minutes later, and in came Kankuro and Temari who looked about the room in shock. However it wasn't due to the state of disaster that the room was in, no, it was the two people on the bed. Miaka shifted and looked at the two jounin, raising a finger to her lips to keep them quiet. Temari tilted her head to take a better look at her sleeping brother. Kankuro crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. The two left soon after and Miaka tried to think about anything but the hand currently holding hers.

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	40. Morning

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Morning

When Gaara woke up, all he could do was blink up at the ceiling. The sun was already high in the sky as he lay there under his covers frozen in place. He was holding something warm, soft, and small in his left hand and he had absolutely no idea what it was.

Slowly he turned his head to the right and was quite surprised, if not shocked to see Miaka lying next to him. His green eyes slid down his arm and sure enough, his hand was holding hers. He heard her moan softly and snuggle further into the pillow she was occupying. He felt her hand tighten its grip on his before she settled down once again.

He let his eyes roam her sleeping form. Her long lashes curled at the ends only slightly brushing her flushed cheeks. Her mouth was lightly parted as she breathed. She wore a blue sleeping gown, whose strap on her right shoulder had slid down a bit. The flimsy article of clothing ended just above her knees. Her legs were bent slightly, and her small feet were bare. Yet, all that did not catch his attention as much as her hair did. The purple tresses were fanned out on the tan colored pillow some of it falling over her shoulders while her bangs framed her sleeping face. It had been a while since he'd seen her hair down.

Gaara found himself slightly smiling at the girl sleeping soundlessly beside him, and gripped her hand tighter. He turned his head to look out the window. It was well past noon. Why had no one woken him up? Then he remembered. He had a panic attack last night. That was why Miaka had stayed over. Gently he pulled his hand from hers and moved to sit up.

"Gaara-kun…" he froze. "Gaara-kun…" slowly he turned to Miaka whose half lidded eyes stared up at him. "Sleep, Gaara-kun." She said, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back down. For someone so small she was surprisingly strong…or maybe it was because he felt as if something had shocked him when he felt her soft hand on his bare shoulder.

"Mia—"

"Kankuro-san and Temari-san came in the morning…" she yawned and curled into the bed, reminding him of a cat. "…They said that they'll take care of things for today…" she began to mumble as he settled back down next to her.

Now that he thought about it, he did feel tired. He turned on his side facing her and she did the same. He looked down and spotted red blotches on the sheets. Alarmed he sat up again and reached across Miaka's legs to the blood stained sheets. Green eyes wide he turned to Miaka and spotted her injured feet.

"Gaara-kun!" she yelled indignant as he lifted one of her feet to his eye level. "Gaara-kun, put my foot down!"

His eyes shifted to her. "You're bleeding."

Miaka blinked. "Huh?" she pulled her foot away from the Kage and sat up to examine it. "Oh…" she mumbled, her hazel eyes shifting to the sheets. "Oh!" She frowned, more upset over the fact that she had dirtied Gaara's bed sheets than the fact that her feet were injured.

"How did this happen?" He asked Miaka who slowly got up from the bed.

"You threw a vase by the door" She pointed at the entrance and sure enough, there were several broken glinting shards of glass on the ground. "…And your brother had dragged me out of bed to coax you to sleep without any shoes and well…the only way to go into the room was by passing through the broken glass…"

Gaara stood up and walked towards his drawer on the other side of the room. He opened the top one and took out a medical kit. Miaka tilted her head when she saw the redhead walking towards her.

"Sit." Miaka blinked at Gaara, but hopped back on to the bed again. "Give me your foot." He ordered as he sat down beside her.

"I-I…" she stuttered. "Don't worry about it, I'll just go home and—" she gasped when he pulled her left foot forward, setting it on his lap.

Green eyes inspected the limb before turning to the medical kit and opening it. He took out a bottle of tweezers, rubbing alcohol, cotton wipes, ointment, and two rolls of wraps. He gently plucked out the small shards and cleaned her foot with the alcohol, looking up questioningly at Miaka when she winced.

"I'm sorry…this shouldn't be hurting you." He apologized looking quite unsure of himself. Was he even making her feel better? He had wanted to help her not hurt her more.

"No…it's just that rubbing alcohol always stings when it's applied. It's not your fault."

He picked up the bottle and inspected it. "It…stings?" he questioned with a slight frown.

"Yes." She nodded looking at him curiously. "Have you never used it before?"

"No." Gaara shook his head. "The sand has always protected me from any physical harm."

"Oh…" she winced again when he cleaned her right foot.

Capping the alcohol off, he turned to the ointment and applied a generous amount to both feet. She sighed at the cooling effect it had on her and relaxed when he bandaged her up. He placed the two feet back on the bed and inspected his handy work. Looking quite satisfied with himself he put everything back in the kit and placed it on the floor.

Miaka frowned. "You should put that back where you got it from."

Gaara looked up in confusion. "Why?" he crawled towards her.

Her eyes widened, a blush creeping up on her face. Why did he have to be shirtless?!

"I…well…your room is a mess already as it is, the least you could do is put the kit back in its place!" she rushed the words out so fast that he had to stop and think about what she had just said.

Gaara turned to his room and noticed books thrown all over the place, a vase on the ground here and there, some of them shattered into pieces others chipped on the side. His couch was on the other side of the room, half split in two…she had a point, but he shrugged it off anyway. He shifted closer to Miaka hearing her squeak before reaching for her hand and lying on his side next to her, closing his eyes.

"G-Gaara-kun?" she asked and he grunted, her hazel eyes on his hand holding hers. "What are you doing?"

"Sleeping."

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	41. Distraction

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Distraction

"…And after that you need to head to the Hospital to say a few words in order to open up the children's play room. There is also the meeting you have with my father regarding furthering education in Suna and…"

He really couldn't concentrate on what she was saying so much as watching her lips move. For some reason he had begun to feel the need to be with her constantly and ended up telling her to work full time with him. Now she was rarely out of his sight unless it was to sleep, personal grooming, or to run errands for him.

He had tried to ask her to spend the nights with him as well but all he got as a response was a bright red blush some stuttering and a hurried 'have a good day.' He could only assume that was a definite no.

"…That's all you have on your agenda for today." She looked up from her notepad and blinked her hazel eyes up at him. "Gaara-kun?"

Who knew he'd learn to like his name so much?

"Hn." He nodded even though he had caught maybe, two of the dozens of things she had listed. "Where to first?"

He watched with amusement as she made a face of disbelief before sighing and shaking her head while muttering something along the lines of 'hopeless'. He heard her grumble as she took his hand and pulled on it leading the way to his first meeting.

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	42. Suitor

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Suitor 

"Isn't this wonderful!" Miaka heard her mother gush as she walked through the door. "Toshi, don't you think this is wonderful!"

Miaka bent down to remove her shoes all the while wondering what had made her mother so happy.

"It is wonderful, but I still think that it is Miaka who should make the decision." Answered her father.

The purple haired teen froze. Decision? What decision?

"I'm sure she would agree." Her mother insisted.

She quietly made her way to the living room where her mother was happily reading a scroll and her father sighed in resignation.

"I'm home." She finally said. Her parents looked up startled.

Toshi smiled at her knowing very well that she had heard them talking. Their daughter had been sneaking around the house like some ninja and while he personally liked that his daughter had learned how to defend herself, his wife wasn't as enthusiastic about the idea.

"Miaka, how many times have I told you not to sneak up on us..." Her mother sighed and held a hand to her heart as if she might faint.

The teen giggled and entered the room taking a seat across her mother. "It's not my fault you didn't hear me open and close the front door." Miaka smoothed her skirt and tilted he head. "So mother, what has you in such a good mood? And what decision am I supposed to make?"

Her mother brightened and thrust the scroll she had been reading onto her hands. Confused, Miaka read its contents a blush slowly creeping onto her cheeks. This…this was…Miaka turned her hazel orbs to her parents who sat quietly as they waited for her response.

"It would seem that you have a suitor!" her mother practically squealed.

"Koji-san?" she reread the scrolls contents. Apparently the future Feudal Lord of the Land of Springs, the teen she had talked to during Madam Shijimi's birthday party had actually taken an interest in her. He was asking for permission to visit her in Suna.

"I've already talked to Gaara-sama, and have sent a reply." Her mother said eagerly.

Miaka turned to her mother alarmed. "Wait! You what!?"

"I told you." Toshi murmured under his breath.

"Oh, hush!" her mother snapped at her husband, then turned to her daughter. "This would be good for you. To think, at the age of fifteen and with a suitor! This is amazing, Miaka."

"And what if I don't want this?!" Miaka stood, the flush on her cheeks no longer of embarrassment, it now was out of anger.

"Miaka, this is what's best for you." Replied her mother looking somewhat taken aback. She hadn't really expected Miaka to be so displeased.

"Well next time, let me decide what's best for me!" the teen quickly ran out of the living room and up the stairs. They heard her as she slammed the door to her room and sat in silence.

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	43. Advice

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Advice

"HEY!" Kankuro exclaimed as he dodged right. He turned to look at his previous spot only to watch as the sand slowly retreated back to its master. "You could have killed me back there!"

Gaara stood across from his older brother arms crossed, looking at him impassively. "I did no such thing."

"Well that's because I dodged it!" Kankuro growled.

Gaara continued to stare at his brother in the same aloof manner for a few seconds before turning on his heel and walking away.

"HEY!" Kankuro called out. "Gaara!"

The redhead stalked down the streets of Suna. The villagers steered clear of his way at the sight of him. There was obviously something troubling their Kazekage, and no one wanted to be on the wrong end of the stick if he suddenly snapped.

"Gaara?" Temari looked up from her desk when she sensed her brother at her door. The teen stepped inside and slammed the door shut. "Uh…" the blonde took her feet of the desk and sat up right all the while watching her brother carefully as he slowly took a seat on the chair across from hers.

"Miaka's mother came with a request." Temari blinked and Gaara continued. "Some nobleman's son wants to visit Miaka, here." Gaara looked out the window of his sister's office. "He is interested in marrying her."

"Oh…?" Temari kept her teal eyes on her brother as she placed the documents she was holding on her desk. "And…" she said slowly. "…This is bothering you?"

"No." Gaara replied a little too quickly to be considered normal. "…But I almost killed Kankuro today."

Temari nodded in understanding. "Everyone has a hard time _not_ killing Kankuro, Gaara. You had to snap at some point." Her little brother turned to her in concern.

"I don't understand. When her mother told me I felt…something…uncomfortable."

The girl arched an eyebrow. "How so?"

"It felt bad. I…wanted to hurt that man."

Temari smirked and stood up. She walked around her desk to stand directly behind her brother. She patted his back in amusement and leaned forward. "That, little brother, is what we like to call jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Gaara looked over his shoulder to his sister. "Why would I be jealous?"

Temari gave him a look and placed her hands on her hips. "Do I really need to spell it out for you? I thought Miaka-chan had been helping you understand what certain emotions meant."

"Jealousy never came up." Was his reply.

With a sigh Temari moved to lean on her desk and raised one finger. "The reasons why you're jealous are, one: because she's pretty..." She lifted another finger. "…Two: because now you have someone who wants to take her away from you..." She raised a third finger. "And three: because you like her!"

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	44. Nobleman

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Nobleman

Gaara shook the hand of the man in front of him looking as impassive as ever. Koji was a tall eight teen year old, with mousy brown hair and bright green eyes. He dressed in expensive robes and had body guards all around him. He had plenty of wealth, and as a consequence, he was quite spoiled. What the teen wanted, he would get. And right now stand right before him, Gaara knew that what he wanted was Miaka.

"I must say," Koji began. "I admire you and your people for living here. Kami knows I'm dying here." The eighteen year old chuckled then turned to Miaka. "How can you stand the heat?"

"You get used to it, Minamoto-sama."

Gaara turned to the purple haired girl. So she called him by his last name and not his first. Somehow, knowing that made him feel better.

"Well then, I have met the Kazekage…" the teen smiled at Gaara who hadn't really moved or shown any other signs of being alive except for the occasional blink of the eyes. "Hisakata-san why don't you give me a tour of the village?"

"_Miaka-san_, has work to do here." Gaara finally spoke. "I'm sure my brother can give you a tour."

"Eh!?" The puppet master exclaimed in surprise. What just happened?

"Well, I was hoping that Hisakata-san could do me the honor." Said Koji eyes narrowed at Gaara as he took Miaka's hand.

"Um…" the girl began, but stopped as her other hand was taken by the tall redhead.

"She is my secretary and there is work to do." Was Gaara's reply.

Miaka felt as Koji's grip on her hand tightened slightly. "I'm sure you can find a replacement for just a few hours."

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the man, his impassive look cracking. "Miaka-san is the only who can do the job properly."

Behind the two powerful teens were Temari and Kankuro, both of whom felt the tension slowly seeping into the room with Miaka in the middle of it all. The purple haired teen looked over her shoulder giving Temari a pleading look.

"Minamoto-sama, Kankuro can take you on a tour of the village. Miaka-chan has a lot to work to do here and we really can't find another replacement in such short notice."

"I'm doing what!?" Kankuro exclaimed but hissed a few seconds after when his older sister pinched his arm. The puppet user cleared his throat and nodded. "Uh, yes. I can take you on a tour."

Koji Minamoto narrowed his green eyes in displeasure and grudgingly agreed, following Kankuro and Temari out the door.

Gaara cleared his throat catching Miaka's attention.

"He is…arrogant." Gaara stated as he turned back to his desk. The redhead sat down and laced his fingers in front of him. Miaka giggled and nodded.

"He is, but he can be nice too."

Something about that last comment made Gaara feel uneasy.

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	45. Permission

**A.N.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.**

Permission 

Koji Minamoto cleared his throat as he stood by the entrance of the office of the young Kazekage. The two people in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to the young noble. Miaka looked over her shoulder from her spot next to the Kazekage, pen and notepad in hand, while Gaara sat at his desk, fingers laced in front of him.

The two blinked at Koji who stood by the doorway arms crossed over his chest. It had been two days since he had arrived to the sandy village and had only managed to see Miaka a total of three times. She was always working and when she had a break it was like the Kazekage had eye's everywhere, because each time that he'd attempt to take her out to eat or have a conversation with her, a messenger hawk came with a message from the redhead himself telling her to return to work.

"Minamoto-sama?" Miaka asked as she made her way to him. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." he said through gritted teeth and kept his green eyes on the apathetic redhead. "…I was just wondering if I could get the Kazekage's permission to spend more than 2 minutes with you."

Miaka's hazel eyes widened in surprise as she turned to Gaara whose mouth twitched into a barely noticeable frown.

"Um…" Miaka tilted her head. "Gaara-sama, we were finished with today's work any way…could I please leave early?"

"Hn." Gaara grunted. Koji smirked and turned to leave waiting for Miaka outside of the office.

"Thank you." Miaka smiled and bowed before walking out the door.

Gaara sat at his desk for a couple of minutes until he decided that he'd go and see what Koji Minamoto was up to.

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